Monthly Archives: October 2014

How important is money to you?

Money is a tetchy subject. Some people think it’s rude to talk about it while others can’t stop talking about it.

Regardless of how you feel about it money is a juicy topic because it stirs up a different sensation in all of us.

Before we delve into this a little deeper I wanted to share a story with you that I think beautifully exemplifies this idea of money and its value.

I had a chat with our carpenter the other day. What he said made me reconsider the kind of life I really wanted to live.

He told me that he loved his job. He’s self-employed and makes what many in the UK would consider a modest salary.

He’s hardworking, committed and an amazing craftsman. Because he’s such a warm and friendly guy he’s never short of work and he has plenty of repeat business – I can attest to this having hired him several times myself.

Now, if he wanted to he could easily increase his hourly rate but he chooses not to. He doesn’t feel he needs to. He can live the life he wants on his existing income and what’s more he’s really happy. He’s built up a reputable business, is proud of what he does and feels genuinely fulfilled.

This was a sobering conversation and one that really resonated with me.

In a world where many of us are focused on money, money, money – the attaining of it, the lack of it, the excess of it, the spending of it etc. – what our carpenter said made think twice about how important money really is.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Money can’t buy you happiness” and as true as that may be I reckon their are 3 primary things that money can enable us to do:

Big dream envy, small dream shame

I’m curious, are you embarrassed about the size of your dream?

My parents were hardworking people. They both had a strong work ethic and were experts in their fields.

They were committed to raising their kids and creating a stable and loving environment for us to learn and grow. I believe these were their primary goals. These were their dreams and they were happy fulfilling them.

Today, we hardly bat an eyelid when we hear stories of people wanting to reverse global warming, find a cure for cancer, or eradicate world hunger.

And these aren’t wild and outlandish fantasies. There are people all over the world passionately committing themselves to championing these causes.

These aren’t only dreams belonging to the rich and famous either. Folks like you and me, our friends and family members have expressed dreams to change the world in their own unique way.

By today’s standards perhaps my parents dreams might be considered rather humble.

It seems like we live in a time where having big and audacious dreams have become the rule and not the exception.

So much so that it’s not surprising that some of us are left feeling a little embarrassed by the size of our dreams.